Red Lentil Dahl (Masoor Dal)
This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read my disclosure.Ready for a delicious twist on Indian curry or stew? You have to try this Red Lentil Dal. It’s vegan, gluten free, and loaded with plant-based protein – a perfectly filling Indian meal.
Dal is one of my favorite one-pot meals.
Also known as masoor dal (or red lentil dahl), it is a powerhouse of nutritional goodness, thanks to the wonderful little lentil at the heart of every Indian dal recipe.
More on that in a bit, but first let’s talk about what this recipe is – and isn’t – because its sort of a hybrid between lentil stew and curry.
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What Is Lentil Dahl?
Lentil dahl is an Indian dish made up of lentils, spices, and vegetables. It’s traditionally paired with a grain base like rice, quinoa, or even naan as a complete meal.
It’s super easy to make, but it does require soaking the lentils overnight before cooking (or you can save time and use canned or pre-steamed lentils!).
Stories say that lentil dahl was created to make food go further. Traditionally in India, people would make dal with whatever vegetables they had in their pantry and the flavorings they had on hand at the time.
As such, Indian dal is uniquely customizable and equally as forgiving. Seriously, you can basically clean out your pantry or fridge and end up with an amazing creation!
Think of dal as similar to curry, but it isn’t as heavily spiced and instead uses a variety of seasonings like garlic, ginger, cumin, turmeric, coriander powder (also called dhania), and sometimes mango powder (also known as amchoor).
Masoor Dal Benefits
With about 30% of their calories from protein, lentils have the third-highest level of protein (by weight) of any legume or nut – surpassed only by soybeans and hemp.
Red lentils also have tons of fiber, folate, and minerals. When mixed with grains (such as rice), lentils become a complete protein dish. That means it has all nine of the essential amino acids necessary for your dietary needs.
And as an added benefit, all that protein and fiber has super satiating properties that help you stay fuller longer!
They also taste great and have a wonderful texture 🙂
Are Red Lentils the Same as Masoor Dal?
Basically! Masoor is just the Hindi term for “red lentil.” And masoor dal is the name of the dish that uses red lentils as its main ingredient.
The term dal is often used to refer to a large variety of beans, peas and lentils that are boiled until soft. In this respect, it doesn’t matter what kind of lentil is used as all varieties work well. But if the recipe says “masoor” specifically, then you know it uses red lentils.
Ok, are you convinced to try this vegan dahl recipe yet? I hope so! Let’s dig in.
Red Lentil Dahl with Coconut Milk
I love red lentils because they have a sweet and nutty flavor and cook pretty quickly. This vegan red lentil dahl is a warm and comforting dish, full of those delicious aromas you’d find at your favorite Indian restaurant, and super healthy for you too!
Recipe Ingredients and Notes
- Lentils: Red lentils are the star of this recipe! If you just can’t find red lentils, you can still make this recipe using brown or yellow lentils too – it’ll just take longer to cook and will have a slightly different flavor.
- Onion, Garlic and Ginger: This trio is what gives this lentil dahl recipe a depth of flavor.
- Celery: For a bit of crunch, texture and to pair with the onions.
- Spices: You’ll need curry powder, ground coriander, garam masala, salt and crushed red pepper flakes.
- Vegetable Stock: I typically use low sodium vegetable stock so that I can control how salty the dal is myself.
- Crushed Tomatoes: The tomatoes bring a nice acidity to this recipe. I used canned, crushed tomatoes because they are canned when they are in season which gives them a ton of flavor.
- Light Coconut Milk: This ingredient gives this red lentil dahl recipe a really nice creaminess without a ton of fat or calories
- Cilantro: For a fresh, citrusy finish to the dahl!
How to Make Simple Red Lentil Dal – Step by Step
Step 1: Mix the ginger garlic, curry powder, coriander, garam masala and crushed red pepper in small bowl and set aside.
Step 2: Heat a large soup pot over medium heat. Add your oil, onions and celery and cook on medium high heat for about 2 minutes until vegetables are fragrant and translucent. Stir occasionally to prevent burning.
Step 3: Turn down heat and add the ginger, garlic and spice mix and cook on low heat for about 1 minute, allowing the spices to “bloom” until they become fragrant. Don’t rush through this step. It’s the secret to super flavorful masoor dal.
Step 4: Add the lentils, vegetable stock, salt, diced tomatoes and coconut milk.
Step 5: Bring up to a boil, then reduce heat to a low simmer. Cook with a lid on for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally until lentils are soft. If your heat is up too high, the liquid will evaporate before the lentils are done cooking.
If that happens, just add a little bit more stock (or water, if you are using that) and continue to cook. When lentil are soft, turn off your heat and add in your chopped cilantro. Adding cilantro at the end will keep the flavor lively and fresh.
Step 6: Serve as a soup, or over brown rice with some steamed veggies, or with naan or roti! I chose to have ours as a “stew” over brown rice.
What Makes This Red Lentil Dahl Recipe Healthy?
- High in Fiber: Each serving of this easy lentil dahl has 14 grams of fiber! Fiber is important for healthy digestion, helps keep you fuller longer, and keeps blood sugar steady.
- High in Plant Protein: You can totally get enough protein eating a plant-based diet! This vegan dal has 11 grams of vegan-friendly protein in each serving.
- Vitamins and Minerals: Not only are lentils packed with protein and fiber, they are also are an excellent source of B vitamins, iron, magnesium, potassium and zinc.
Recipe FAQs
Is Red Lentil Dahl a Kid-Friendly Recipe?
Absolutely!! Thanks to it’s soft texture and warm spices, most kids will gobble up this vegan dal with no complaints. If you’re making this for young kids, I recommend leaving out the crushed red pepper since many young kids are sensitive to spice.
What Can I Serve with Dahl?
There are so many serving options for this red lentil dahl! Some of our favorites include:
1) Brown basmati rice, quinoa or cauliflower rice
2) A side salad with cucumbers, tomatoes and greens
3) With this cauliflower sabji
4) With roti or whole wheat naan
Do I have to Soak The Lentils Before Cooking?
No! That’s the great thing about red lentils – they cook up so fast you don’t need to soak them ahead of time. If you use brown or yellow lentils instead of red lentils in this recipe, soaking them ahead of time will speed up the cooking process, so I recommend doing it.
How to Store and Keep
Let the dahl cool completely, then transfer to an airtight container. Store in the fridge, it will keep for up to 4-5 days.
You can also freeze this red lentil dahl recipe by placing the dahl in a freezer safe, airtight container. It will keep in the freezer for up to 4 months. To defrost, thaw in the fridge overnight, then warm on the stovetop or microwave.
Recipe Variations
- Add Some Greens: I like adding baby spinach or chopped kale into this vegan dal recipe from time to time to get some more greens into our diet!
- Try a Different Lentil: Any lentil will work in this recipe! I like making this with moong dal or chana dal as a substitute for red lentils.
- Substitute Coconut Milk: If you don’t have coconut milk, you can try almond milk or cashew cream.
Top Tips For Making Red Lentil Dal
- Make sure you saute the spices before adding the rest of the ingredients so they have time to “bloom” (become fragrant).
- Rinse your lentils before cooking the dahl – this will get rid of any debris or dirt trapped in between the lentils.
- You can use any lentils you like, just be sure to adjust the cooking time.
- If the vegetable broth starts to evaporate before your lentils are done cooking, lower the heat and add a bit more vegetable broth or water.
- Don’t overcook your lentils otherwise the whole dahl will become mushy!
This recipe was so filling and tasty! I promise this dal Indian food is a crowd pleaser, and it also happens to be vegan and gluten free – so it really works for anyone.
Keep in mind this recipe makes about 4 HUGE servings, so if you end up with tons of leftovers, just know that red lentil dal freezes really well – so you can always freeze and save it for another night.
Which is perfect really because I highly recommend going back for seconds!
Check Out These Other Delicious Indian Recipes!
Indian cuisine is one of our favorites around here, so I played around with plenty of curry, lentil, and masoor dahl recipes. Here are some of the best:
- Vegan Dal Makhani
- Sweet Potato Dahl
- Chole Masala
- Instant Pot Lentil and Cauliflower Curry
- Instant Pot Dal (you can make red lentil dal in the pressure cooker, too!)
- Slow Cooker Yellow Dal
- 25 Healthy Vegetarian Indian Recipes
If you have tried this Red Lentil Dahl recipe, or any other recipe on my blog, then please rate it and let me know how it turned out in the comments below! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST to see more delicious, healthy, family friendly food!
🎥 Watch How to Make It
Red Lentil Dahl (aka Masoor Dal)
Indian Dal (also spelled Dhal or Daal) is a delicious plant-based, yet high protein meal. Warm, comforting, and aromatic, this lightened up red lentil dal contains all of your favorite Indian flavors, minus the oil and fat. Healthy and vegan friendly!
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 249kcal
Ingredients
- 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- ¾ cup dry red lentils
- 1 cup chopped red onion
- ½ cup chopped celery
- 3 cloves chopped garlic
- 1 tsp grated ginger
- 1¼ tsp curry powder
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp garam masala
- ½-1 tsp salt
- ⅛ tsp crushed red pepper
- 1 cup vegetable stock
- 1 15oz can crushed tomatoes
- 1 15oz can light coconut milk
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Mix the ginger garlic, curry powder, coriander, garam masala and crushed red pepper in small bowl and set aside.
- Heat a large soup pot over medium heat. Add your oil, onions and celery and cook on medium high heat for about 2 minutes until vegetables are fragrant and translucent. Stir occasionally to prevent burning.
- Turn down heat and add the ginger, garlic and spice mix and cook on low heat for about 1 minute, allowing the spices to “bloom” until they become fragrant. Add the lentils, vegetable stock, salt, diced tomatoes and coconut milk.
- Bring up to a boil, then reduce heat to a low simmer. Cook with a lid on for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally until lentils are soft. If your heat is up too high, the liquid will evaporate before the lentils are done cooking. If that happens, just add a little bit more stock (or water, if you are using that) and continue to cook. When lentil are soft, turn off your heat and add in your chopped cilantro. Adding cilantro at the end will keep the flavor lively and fresh.
- Serve as a soup, or over brown rice with some steamed veggies, or with naan or roti! I chose to have ours as a “stew” over brown rice.
Notes
Tips For Making The Best Red Lentil Dahl
- Leftover dahl will keep in the fridge for about 4-5 days in an airtight container. It will also keep in the fridge for up to 4 months.
- Try adding some baby spinach or kale into this dal to get some more greens into your diet.
- Rinse your lentils before cooking the dahl – this will get rid of any debris or dirt trapped in between the lentils.
- You can use any lentils you like, just be sure to adjust the cooking time.
- If you don’t have coconut milk, you can try almond milk or cashew cream.
Nutrition
Calories: 249kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Sodium: 724mg | Potassium: 713mg | Fiber: 14g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 483IU | Vitamin C: 14mg | Calcium: 76mg | Iron: 4mg
Yum! Since I was so amazed by your Mac’n’Cheese recipe, I’ve become really curious about your other recipes and even though I have never cooked with red lentils before, I noticed a bag of them sitting in my pantry, so I decided to give your Dal a go. This was one of the best vegetarian meals I made so far! I usually make turkey or chicken curry when I’m in the mood for Indian food, so this one was a revelation. Very hearty, very filling. I had some freshly made whole wheat garlic naan on the side. Next time, I might try adding a touch of fruitiness to it, like some mango chutney. Thanks for this recipe and greetings from Germany! 🙂
Oh awesome!! Serving it with whole wheat garlic naan sounds like a great idea. I think mango chutney would be delicious as well! So happy you’ve been enjoying my recipes — and it’s so cool that you’re in Germany! That is on my list of places to visit, although I haven’t made it out there yet 🙂
Hi Anjali, thanks for your kind reply! 🙂 You should totally come to Germany (or Europe in general)! German cuisine is really good, but it’s often unhealthy – if you come visit one day, maybe you can “healthify” some German dishes 😀 Come to think of it, in Southern Germany, where I live, we also like our lentils. But they’re served with sausage and loads of noodles – nowhere near as nutritious as Dal 😉
Hehe that sounds great!! I’d love to visit Germany – and I’m sure I could figure out healthier versions of German food too! 🙂
hey Anjali,
loved your recipe and i will definitely try this….looks too delicious and yummy… thanks for sharing…
Great! let me know how it turns out!
I made this today and it is delicious!, this was my first ever lentil dish and it tuned out perfect. My dog could smell it cooking and was dying for a sample which is very unusual for her with a new ingredient. Thank you so much.
Oh that’s so great!! I’m so glad you liked it! 🙂
This is a really delicious (and easy!) recipe. I’m definitely adding to my regular rotation.
But I have to say, I don’t see how I could have gotten 8 HUGE portions from it. I got about four, eating it as a main course. Cutting that in half would have left me quite hungry! Obviously, different ideas of portion size for different people, but just wanted to flag that for others!
I’m so glad you liked this recipe Sara! Thanks for the note about the portion size — I think the husband and I always end up taking 2 servings (which would amount to 4 portions instead of 8) — but others have told me that the 8 portions is enough for them! Totally like you said – everyone’s preference for portions is different 🙂
Wow this looks amazing defiantly something I will need to try, and with brown rice and steamed greens what a fantastic winter dish for the cool weather here in Australia.
Thanks so much Hayley! Adding greens and rice would be perfect for this dish! Let me know how you like it! 🙂
Made this yesterday.. What an amazing meal!! It was especially soothing and yummy with the weather being so cloudy and rainy (in East Bay).
Thank you for your recipes!
Komal
Awesome!! You’re right this recipe is perfect for the weather we’re having in the Bay right now. What is up with the rain in June? So strange! 🙂 So glad you liked this recipe Komal!
Hello would you mind sharing which blog platform you’re working with? I’m planning to
start my own blog in the near future but I’m having a difficult time deciding between BlogEngine/Wordpress/B2evolution and Drupal. The reason I ask is because your design and style seems different then most blogs and I’m looking for
something completely unique. P.S My apologies for getting off-topic but I had to ask!
Hi Laurel! I use Wordpress and I love it! 🙂
Thanks for this recipe! I made a double recipe of it last night and omitted the red pepper and added a bit of chicken; served over basmati rice. My husband and I thought it was delicious. Our 12 month old son gobbled it up too which is why I left out the red pepper. Best part is we have plenty more for another meal this week! Will make again. Thanks!
Yay!! So happy to hear that Lindsey! Love the modifications you made – I bet it made it a really wholesome meal 🙂 I’m glad your son liked it too!!
Hi Anjali,
Nice to meet you 🙂
This one is so inspiring and I love this one. Actually never tried this dish. Thanks for the share!
Hi Jess! It’s nice to meet you too 🙂 I’m so glad you like this recipe – you’ll have to let me know how it turns out!
Being a vegetarian this blog was really interesting and informing for me. I never knew lentils had so many health benefits. I love how you gave the alternative of cauliflower instead of rice to have with the Red Lentil Dal. I was wondering if there were any meats that would go well with this dish? As my partner isn’t vegetarian.
Hi Rhianne! I’m so glad you like my blog! And yes – lentils are really a wonderful superfood – they are one of my favorite legumes to have 🙂 I think chicken (seasoned with Indian spices) would probably go well with this dal, so I’d recommend that! Hope that helps!
Heya Anjali,
Love your vege recipe, im gonna go go try it. Personally, I aint a fussy eater and is thankful for every meals on the dining table so having to go coupled with your recipe, it gonna add flavours to my vege dietary regime – prob progressively increase from once a week onwards. Thanks again =)
Thanks so much! I’m so glad you like this recipe – you’ll have to let me know how it turns out!
I have never tried lentils before. I am kind of a picky eater and have a texture issue. Although this dish looks like it has a similar texture of oatmeal, I think that I am going to give it a try. I am always down to try new foods meals, and this looks like and easy and tasty one to start with. Thank you for sharing this!
Hi Ashley! My husband has a texture issue too – so you are not alone 🙂 And actually – I’d say that oatmeal has a much more “mushy” texture than this dal. It has a nice crunch and bite to it from the veggies in it – which gives it a more interesting texture. Let’s put it this way: oatmeal is too mushy for my husband, but he loved this dal. Let me know how it turns out for you and how you like it!
Hi Anjali,
I see you use the crushed garlic from trader joes… I see it in the frozen food section and have wondered how it is. I prefer not buying crushed garlic, because most of the brands I’ve tried taste harsh, but it would be good to have some ready garlic when I’m in a hurry.
Hi! I actually love the crushed frozen garlic from Trader Joe’s. It is an incredible time saver and tastes just like fresh garlic in cooked dishes. I wouldn’t recommend it for any dishes that aren’t cooked through fully (e.g. for a salad dressing) – I’d just use fresh garlic for those. But for fully cooked dishes it works like a charm!
daal is my ultimate comfort food 🙂 and love how red lentils cooks so quick
Dal is totally comfort food for me too!! And yes! The quicker cooking lentils are my favorite 🙂
I love lentil dal and want to make this for sure! Have you ever tried using other types of lentils or do you think that would change the flavor too much?
Thanks Sarah! I think yellow lentils would probably work in this recipe, but I wouldn’t use some of the darker lentils — I think that would change the flavor too much. Hope that helps!
Wow, lovely recipe. I use red lentils a lot these days but mainly as a thickener. I also use in a tomato and squash curry which is delicious. I will definitely make this Dal – never thought about using coconut milk with lentils – yummy!
Oh interesting! I’ve never thought about using lentils as a thickener but that totally makes sense. What a great idea Sarah!
This looks amazing – though the last time I cooked with lentils, it was an epic fail! I’ll definitely have to try again. Two questions: where do you find garam masala? I’m in the south Bay Area and don’t know where to look. Also, have you ever thought about putting up a healthy Palak Paneer recipe? I was craving some the other day so I looked on your blog… but noticed you don’t have a recipe! What am I to do? 😉
Hi Casey! Yes definitely try again – I promise this recipe is super easy to make! Oh and to your questions: You can actually find garam masala at most major grocery stores, but if you don’t want to search around – just go to Whole Foods. They have it for sure. And yes!! Palak Paneer is one of the husband’s favorites and I have been trying to figure out a way to make a healthier version for a while. So stay tuned!! As soon as I finalize my recipe it will be posted 🙂
I can’t wait to try this! I have only recently started cooking with lentils and am looking for some recipes. I used to eat Indian food quite a bit when I lived in NYC but really haven’t had it in years. I think it’s time to introduce it to the family! Thanks!
Simply well.
Michelle
Thanks Michelle! You’ll have to keep me posted on how it turns out and how your family likes it! 🙂
This looks good – I like that its thick and looks like it has some texture. I love the yellow dal, but sometimes I need a soup with a little more “ompf!”
Thank you so much Maria! I’m sure you will love this recipe!
I’m definitely with you on this one–dal is the best! Right now I like to make one with red lentils and farro, lots of spices, tomatoes, and carrots. It’s so convenient to make a huge pot at the beginning of the week and have it for lunch until it runs out.
Oooh – adding farro to the dal sounds like a great idea! I bet that gives it a wonderful texture as well. Totally agree about making a huge pot at the beginning of the week – I could eat this recipe for leftovers for days!
How do you add the farro? just cook it and spoon the dal over it?
That’s what I would do Ben! I’d cook the farro separately, and then just combine the two in a bowl and eat!